1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an automatic analyzer for performing qualitative/quantitative analysis of a living body sample such as blood and urine and a method for using the automatic analyzer. The invention also relates to a computer program and a recording medium to which the program is written.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the field of automatic analysis, one analyzer may be used in various operation modes. For example, a limited number of items sometimes require multi-sample analysis at the time of a blood test in periodic medical examination. That is because the blood test does not require analyses covering many items. In such a case, reagents sufficient for the analysis of each item are placed in an analyzer so as to avoid the shortage of reagents during the multi-sample analysis that takes a long time to complete. In contrast to this, when the analyzer copes with requests for analyses covering all items (for example, operation at night), the number of requested samples is small, and accordingly, it is not necessary to analyze many samples. However, multi-item analysis is required. In such a case, it is necessary to place many kinds of reagents in the analyzer so that many analysis items can be handled.
As described above, how to place reagents differs depending on an operation mode. For this reason, if one analyzer is configured to have two or more operation modes, it is necessary to determine analysis items, and the number of tests, required for each of the operation modes, and to replace a reagent with a required one. Also for this purpose, reagent replacement work should be made simple and easy.
Recently, with the increase in analysis speed, the number of reagents consumed by an analyzer per hour tends to increase. As one of methods for enabling long-time analysis by the analyzer, the number of reagents which can be stored in a reagent storing unit of the analyzer is sometimes increased.
Accordingly, to change an operation mode which requires a user to place reagents associated with the operation mode, the user checks kinds of currently placed reagents, and the number of tests which can be made with the currently placed reagents on a screen, or the like. The user then removes an unnecessary reagent from the reagent storing unit, and places a necessary reagent in the reagent storing unit. In the case of this method, with increase in the number of reagents placed in the reagent storing unit, human errors more easily occur. For example, when the user places a reagent, there is a higher possibility that the user will place the reagent in the wrong place or the user will remove a necessary reagent. In contrast to normal addition of a reagent, for example, when an operation mode is changed to another operation mode that requires transfer of many reagents from a refrigerator for storing reagents to the reagent storing unit of the analyzer, reagent placement work becomes more complicated. As a result, an excessive load is put on the user.
JP-A-2000-321283 discloses a configuration in which the workability of reagent replacement by a user is improved by moving a reagent bottle, which falls short of a reagent, to a position at which the reagent bottle is taken out.
JP-A-2005-37171 discloses an automatic analyzer in which a sample and a reagent are dispensed into each of a plurality of vessels so that the sample and the reagent react with each other, and in which a liquid generated by the reaction is measured. The automatic analyzer includes: first reagent storing means for storing a reagent used for the reaction; second reagent storing means for supplementarily storing a reagent; and reagent transfer means for transferring a reagent from the second reagent storing means to the first reagent storing means. According to JP-A-2005-37171, the automatic analyzer makes it possible to reduce a load put on an operator, and to minimize the number of times analysis is interrupted because a shortage of reagents during the analysis does not occur.